If you have fallen ill and the disease affects your ability to participate in one or more exams, you have several options.
You may come across situations that may temporarily affect your ability to be active in your studies:
Work is not considered an extraordinary circumstance and cannot grant you any dispensation.
Problematic family relations, financial difficulties, a difficult housing situation and the like are all conditions that might affect your ability to be active in your studies. At the same time,they are all situations which are not considered as extraordinary circumstances. If your doctor assesses that the conditions affect you so much that you have become ill, it is equated with illness. It requires your doctor to state in a doctor's certificate how the conditions are affecting you.
Individual study plan
If you are delayed in your course of study due to extraordinary circumstances, it is a good idea to make an individual study plan describing how you plan complete your programme. The student counsellors at the Faculty of Science can help you with that.
Under normal conditions, you are allowed three attempts to successfully pass an exam. If you don't pass the ordinary exam, you must register for the re-exam yourself.
If you need to downgrade your study intensity for a period of time, you can do so as long as you meet the study activity requirement and the time limit regulations. Only extraordinary circumstances may exempt you from these rules.
Additionally, in certain situations you can be granted a leave of absence from your studies.
You have two options if you need to take parental leave during your studies: a parental leave dispensation or leave of absence due to parental leave.
Parental leave dispensation
A parental leave dispensation is the option chosen by most students, as it's the most flexible and entitles you to the State Educational Grant (SU) during your leave if you are eligible for SU.
Getting a parental leave dispensations means that you are exempt from study activity requirements and certain deadlines for up to two semesters. Among other things, this means that you can postpone the deadline for completing your programme by a period corresponding to your parental leave. For example, if you're granted a parental leave dispensation for two semesters, your deadline for completing your programme is also postponed by two semesters. The same applies to the deadline for passing the first-year examination if you go on parental leave during the first year of your Bachelor programme, and the requirement to pass at least one exam per year.
During a parental leave dispensation, you can attend classes or take exams if you want to. You can deregister from an exam up to 14 days before the exam starts, if you need to.
You can start your parental leave in either the semester in which you become a parent (applies to mum, dad and co-mum) or the following semester.
During a parental leave dispensation, you can receive childbird grant portions, ie. up to nine extra SU grant portions (12 if you are a single provider). Read more about childbirth grant portions.
You apply for parental leave compensation via the SPOC system, where you select the general application form. Here you should indicate that you want to apply for parental leave compensation, as well as how many and which semesters. You must also attach a copy of your maternity record or the birth certificate.
Apply for parental leave dispensation via the system SPOC.
Leave of absence due to parental leave
A leave of absence due to parental leave is suitable for students who do not wish to attend classes or take exams and who have the possibility of receiving another type of financial support than SU, such as maternity or paternity benefits based on income from a job.
When you receive this type of benefit, there is usually a requirement that you are not studying simultaneously. That's why leave of absence is a solution for you. During a leave of absence, you are not allowed to attend classes or take exams.
Read more about the rules for leave of absence due to parental leave.
Overview or adjustment of your course of study
If you are in doubt about anything, need an overview or just want to get a handle on your start-up or anything else, you are very welcome to discuss your plans for parental leave with the student counsellors at th Faculty of Science.
Of course, this also applies if something unforeseen occurs in connection with the pregnancy, birth or parental leave that affects your ability to study or take exams, or which makes the period of your parental leave inappropriately placed.
Is it the right programme for you? Would another programme be better suited in view of your interests? If you have thoughts like these, it may be a good idea to talk to someone and figure out why you are having these doubts.
Feel free to contact the General Study Counselling or the student counsellors at the Faculty of Science if you need to talk to someone about your doubts.
If you aren't thriving in your programme, it may be a good idea to find out why and to talk someone about the challenges you are facing.
Feel free to contact the General Study Counselling, who can help you clarify the causes of your failure to thrive and what you can do yourself to improve your situation.
In order to change programmes, you will most likely have to apply again and start over. If you want to start over on a new programme, it may be a good idea to continue your current programme until you know whether you have been admitted to the new programme. This way, you’ll be sure to remain on your current programme if, for some reason, you are not admitted in the new one.
You must apply for starting credits your new programme, and if the new programme has any courses corresponding to ones that you have already passed in your previous programme, you’ll get starting credits. Getting starting credits means that some or all of the courses that you have passed in your previous programme will be transferred to your new programme. That way you should be able to reduce the completion time on your new programme.
If you are considering terminating your studies prior to finishing your programme, there are a number of circumstances that you need to be aware of.
Read more about study termination.
It is not possible to start over on your programme, and you cannot re-sit an exam that have already passed, for example in order to get a better assessment.
However, you may attend courses again that you have previously failed.
Please also be aware of the time limit regulations and the study activity requirement.
As a Bachelor's student at SDU, you can apply for permission to take up to 30 ECTS of a Master's degree programme, even though you have yet to complete your Bachelor's degree.
Read more about registration for Master's courses without a completed Bachelor's degree.
If you have personally been exposed to abusive behaviour and/or discrimination in relation to your studies, you should tell SDU about your experience.
Read more about what to do in case of abusive behaviour or discimination.
Do you need any help?
You are always welcome to contact the student counsellors at the Faculty of Science if things are not going well for you or if you are in doubt about what rules and regulations apply to you and your course of study.